The Flash: DC Movies May Take Place in Keystone City Not Central City

We’re still a couple of years away from The Flash making his big screen debut when Ezra Miller’s take on the character joins the DCEU. Luckily, fans haven’t had to wait to see the Scarlet Speedster in action. Barry Allen first made a brief cameo in Batman v Superman early last year when he time-traveled back to confront Bruce Wayne in the Batcave to warn him of a coming catastrophe. We later saw him in action taking down some crooks at a convenience store during the scene where Batman checks through the files regarding the soon-to-be Justice League members.

It was even more of a surprise when The Flash showed up in Suicide Squad for a humorous scene of him taking down longtime rogue Captain Boomerang. After the cameo, fans are hoping the unicorn-loving Aussie will pop back up to tangle with Barry in the solo film as he learns how to be a hero. The full Justice League trailer gave us even more time with Barry, as Bruce uncovers his Flash Cave, sees his powers in action, and gets a dose of his awkward energy. Given the popularity of the CW’s The Flash, the movies have their work cut out for them in terms of differentiating the two properties. Part of that will be the new suit Barry will be rocking, which looks to be more armor-like than the one his TV counterpart wears.

Thanks to Suicide Squad viral site Argus-gov (via Comicbook.com), there may be one other way the two properties will put distance between them: namely, which city Barry and the Flash call home.

The shot above was found by a Redditor in the file for Slipknot, a character hyped by the marketing of Suicide Squad but who was killed rather unceremoniously early in the movie (in part thanks to Captain Boomerang). Though he likely won’t be reappearing in the DCEU, his criminal record might reveal some secrets about the future of the films. His move from Alabama to Keystone City confirms that the fictional town exists in DC’s cinematic world. In the comics, it’s the sister to Central City, the home of the Flash and setting for the DC TV show. Keystone is also the home of Iris West and her relative Wally, the third Speed Force user to carry the Flash mantle.

While the Easter egg could simply be a nod to Flash and DC lore, it might also mean the movies will shift Barry from Central to Keystone City in an effort to separate the film from the television series a bit more. Another possibility is that it’s teasing Wally West and that the character will also eventually pop up in the movies. While that would add another connection to the shows, the series will likely get to a number of classic comic book concepts and moments before the movies do, given that it will be in its fourth or fifth season by the time The Flash arrives on the big screen. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out as we get closer to the premiere date.

We’ll bring you more news on The Flash and all things DCEU as they emerge.